BARR & SONS, ii, 12 & 13 King Street, Covent Garden, London. 3 
CULTURE AND ADAPTATION OF THE DAFFODIL OUTDOORS. 
SOIL. — The Daffodil will thrive in any ordinary garden soil, but prefers a deep, rather moist loam. 
When the soil is of a dry sandy nature, it should be deeply dug, rotten stable manure should be added, 
and a potato or other crop taken off before planting. If this is not convenient, then place the manure at 
least 12 inches deep, so as to be out of the reach of the bulbs ; the manure is used not as a stimulant 
but as a sponge to hold moisture in the soil. The ammoniacal properties of manure are injurious to the 
Daffodil, hence great care is necessary in the use of it. 
Freshly dug Soil should be allowed to stand vacant two to three weeks before planting, to allow 
the ground to settle down, otherwise the freshly planted bulbs are often drawn under considerably below 
their proper depth, and the bloom in consequence is weakened and retarded. 
Best and Safest Manure to use is Crushed Bones or Basic Slag (for price see page 24). This 
should be applied at planting time, and may be mixed with the soil and placed next the bulbs ; the 
Crushed Bones may be applied at the rate of 4 cwt. to the acre, or oz. to the square yard, and Basic Slag 
may be applied in same manner at the rate of I ton to the acre, or 7i oz. to the square yard. We 
recommend the Basic Slag in preference to the Crushed Bones, it being more reliable, and a good manure for 
all lands ; on very poor and dry sandy soils we recommend in addition Sulphate of Potash (for price 
seepage 24), to be sprinkled annually in the autumn over the surface of the ground, or after planting, at 
the rate of 2 cwt. to the acre, or about f oz. to the square yard. The potash not only increases the depth 
of colour in the flowers, but also helps to hold the moisture in the soil, a condition so essential to the 
perfect development of the Daffodil. 
In Early Spring, as soon as the Daffodils begin to show above ground, the surface soil should be 
well broken with a hoe, to sweeten it after the heavy winter rains. 
PLANTING AND LIFTING. — The best time to plant to obtain the finest flowers is from end of 
August and during September, although bulbs may be planted as late as Christmas with very satisfactory 
results. They may be left undisturbed for three years in ordinary good loamy soils, but on poor and light 
soils they are better lifted every two years, as soon as the foliage has died down, and replanted as early 
as is convenient. Never plant when the ground is wet and sticky, wait until it is dry or friable. Do 
not put silver sand around the bulbs of Narcissi except in the case of N. corbularia. 
Depth to Plant. — T he average depth to plant is from 2 to 3 inches, that is to say, a covering of two 
to three inches of soil, but not more. As the bulbs vary considerably in size, according to the relative 
varieties, the best rule to go by is the bulb itself, which should be covered with soil once and a half its own 
depth, measuring the bulb from the collar of its neck to its actual base. 
Position and Grouping for Effect. — All Daffodils prefer partial shade, although most of them 
will grow equally well in the open. The varieties which are best grown in partial shade are indicated 
in the following pages by a *. In the flower border, to obtain the best effect, Daffodils should be 
planted in large groups of irregular outline, each group or clump to contain one variety only ; avoid 
straight lines, circles, and symmetrical designs. Masses of Daffodils should always appear in the Hardy 
Flower border, where irregular and effective sweeps can be planted between the clumps of herbaceous 
plants which in their turn grow up and hide as well as shelter the Daffodil foliage while it is going to rest. 
In grouping, the season of flowering should be borne in mind, as the varieties bloom in succession from 
the end of February to the end of May, during which period a constant succession of flower is obtainable 
by a judicious arrangement. In the following pages we denote the rotation of blooming. ( Seepage 9. ) 
Varieties specially Suitable for Naturalising in Grass, Woodlands, &c. — These are all free 
seeders, andwill therefore spread naturally ; they are mostly natural hybrids — Abscissus, Achi lles, Countess of 
Annesley, Golden Spur, Henry Irving, Obvallaris, Spurius, Thomas Moore, English Lent Lily, Princeps, 
Scoticus, Variiformis, Albicans, Pallidus Praecox, Moscha tus o f Ha worth (very pretty in grass), and Poeticus 
oflhrT Pyrenees. The Varieties underlined we do not recommend for the cultivated border, as they 
deteriorate the second year, while in grass or meadowland they flourish. 
Hints on Naturalising in Grass.— All daffodils may be planted in grass with perfect success. 
To produce the best effect the three groups should be kept separate : thus the Star Narcissi should not 
be mixed with the Great Trumpets, nor the Poet’s Narcissi with the Star Narcissi. In arranging, make 
the breaks large and bold, scattering the bulbs over the ground broadcast with the hand, and dibbling 
into the ground where they fall. Avoid symmetrical lines or formal circles as far as possible, as these are 
never found in nature. 
Method of Planting in Grass. — Take a stout wooden dibber (like a potato dibber) with a strong 
tread ; make the hole in the ground about six or seven inches deep, and fill up with a good mixture of pre- 
pared soil consisting of two-thirds loam and one-third old leaf soil ; into this press the bulb, and cover up 
the hole with same compost ; this will give the bulbs a fair start, and success is sure to follow. In planting 
under trees, avoid places where the drip from the branches is greatest, also where the main roots come 
close to the surface. {Bor price of Special Dibber, see page 24.) 
